Alligator At O’Hare Airport Found Under Escalator [Watch]

An alligator at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago disrupted the airport’s Terminal 3 when it was spotted by a passenger under an escalator.

Tineka Walker, a security guard from the airport, was on patrol when the report of something suspicious in the terminal building came in: “I looked, I said, ‘What?'” Walker said.

Thinking that the report of the alligator was a joke, Anthony Oliver from Chicago’s police force said that when he heard the report he thought it was a practical joke: “We figured somebody was messing with us,” Oliver said.

Fortunately the alligator at O’Hare Airport was only a baby, measuring just 18 inches in length. The alligator was eventually caught by a worker at the airport who used a broom and dustpan to catch it.

The alligator was picked up by animal control and handed over to the Chicago Herpetological Society. Bob Bavirsha, who works with the CHS as a reptile catcher spoke about the potential danger of an alligator at O’Hare Airport:

“What if a little kid grabbed this, thinking it was a toy? That could do a nasty job,” he said.

It was revealed on Twitter on Friday that a man was seen holding an alligator at the airport. Investigators noted unusual tattoos on the man’s arm which they hope will help identify him.

Bavirsha from the CHS said about the alligator: “The patterns on an alligator are as unique as your fingerprints. We can actually match this band right here with that band right there.”

It appears that the man with the tattoos was traveling on a Blue Line train to the airport and most likely let the alligator go when he realized he wouldn’t get it through the checkpoint.